This research investigates how two opposing political campaign’s speakers construct political myths and discourses in their speeches. In more detail, the study analyses how metaphors, personal pronouns and semantic polarisation are used in two political speeches. The aim of the research is to explain how Scottish national identity and Scotland as a nation are constructed in political myths and discourses and to understand why the Scottish people voted against independence in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. The data consists of two campaign speeches which preceded the vote. One speech was for independence, held by Scottish National party leader Alex Salmond, the other was for staying in the UK, held by Scottish Labour party politician Douglas Alexander. The speeches were analysed by using Critical Metaphor Analysis and Political Discourse Analysis. The results were interpreted and explained using the Cognitive Semantics approach.
The most essential result of the study was that Alexander built discourses of collectiveness and family as well as myth of a hero. In his narrative Scotland was depicted as a helping neighbour staying put and building a society based on cooperation and solidarity together with the rest of the UK. Salmond, on the other hand, built a discourse of autonomy and liberation and a myth of hero/victim. In his narrative Scotland was depicted as becoming free from its British oppressor and building an autonomous and fair society that is characterised by pride, inclusiveness and wellbeing. The conclusion of the study is that the ideology of familyhood and solidarity appealed to the Scottish voters more than the ideology of liberation and autonomy.